Kerala which has the distinction of havng achieved the highest levels of female literacy, education and health and the lowerst maternal and child mortality rates in India, as well as an enviable male-female ratio is also the state which is facing severe challenges in social arena.

Despite their high level of education including univeristy education, the visibility of women in the political, cultural, literacy and social fields is negligible. This is also a state which has a high level of reported cases of suicides and mental depression and very low female work participation rates. Distorted notions of male-female relationships find expression in violence against women in the form of molestation, rape and other forms of abuse raising disturbing questions about safety of women and children that society as a whole, both men and women, need to address.

In the recent years, sex trafficking in Kerala has assumed different forms at various levels-local, inter district, inter state and even cross-border as well as in homes, at a scale that raises significant social concerns. The occurences of instances of sexual violence and sex trafficking creates a situation that questions the safety of women and children in both public and private domain. Sexual violence against women and children is deep rooted in the patriarchal perception of power which is prevalent across the globe. Sex trafficking of women and children is a multi-dimensional problem encompassing a whole range of economic, educational, social, developmental and cultural issues, which are varied and highly complex.

Human trafficking is the third largest organized crime in the world and is defined by United Nations as "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by menas of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a persons having control over another persons, for the purpose of exploitation".

To combat child abuse, sexual violence and sex rafficking, three main areas of interventon will be required:-

Prevention- By addressing the root causes of this problem including empowerment of vulnerable groups, targeting contributing factors such as gender discrimination, alchoholism, consumerism etc. and preparing communities to be vigilant and thwart any attempts to commit the crime.

Protection-By initiating strong corrective and remedial measures and providing an enabling environment in the form of protection services for the victims to heal, recover, empower and reintegrate back to the society.

Prosecution- By ensuring a strong rule of law which will be a deterant for such crimes to recur.

Sexual violence against women and children and sex trafficking are serious offences and declares its deep and steadfast commitment to provide relief to the victims and to prosecute the perpetrators besides areatinf a safe and enabling environment for its women and children. For combatting Sexual Violence against women and children and to safeguard them against trafficking for exploitation, the Kerala Government formulated Nirbhaya Policy. A comprehensive Policy and Action Plan with multi-stakeholder convergence. The policy is aimed at

Prevention of sexual violence against women & children

Protection of sexual violence victims

Prosecution of sexual violence perpetrators

Rehabilitation of sexual violence survivors

Re-integration of sexual violence survivors

To co-ordinate the Nirbhaya Programme a seperate cell (Nirbhaya Cell) has been created under the Directorate of Social Justice headed by an officer of the rank of Joint Director. The State-level Co-ordination committee will nominate members from the state committee to associate with the Nirbhaya cell and support implementation.